The world’s wealthiest entrepreneur celebrated another milestone in human exploration on the weekend anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ triumphant arrival in the Americas in 1492. But while the Spanish were supportive of the 15th-century explorer’s Atlantic expedition, Elon Musk has faced a cascade of administrative lawfare aimed at thwarting the latest pioneers of human progress.
On Sunday, SpaceX successfully captured a 250-ton reusable rocket booster for the company’s Starship, which is destined to carry crew and cargo to “the Moon, Mars and beyond.” After jetting an arc over the Gulf of Mexico from the southern coastal tip of Texas, the first-stage booster flew back to the launch pad seven minutes later and landed in the tower.
“[A] Big step towards making life multiplanetary was made today,” Musk wrote on X, the online platform formerly known as Twitter, which the billionaire executive has transformed to save free speech.
The episode marked a triumph of innovation with the successful test of the world’s most powerful rocket, which is designed to be refueled and ready for re-launch within an hour. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has commissioned the vehicle for the first crewed mission back to the moon under the government’s Artemis program.
Just inspected the Starship booster, which the arms have now placed back in its launch mount. Looks great!
A few outer engine nozzles are warped from heating & some other minor issues, but these are easily addressed.
Starship is designed to achieve reflight of its rocket… pic.twitter.com/oWZoOOfHmk
— Elon Musk
